Switch.



J. RJBYRNEf SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, I913.

Patented July 4, 1916. I

Fig. 5. 24%,!

InQentcr: John F?.BT"HG ha I l Witness es His fit'tov-neg.

To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. iarmvn, or

COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SWITCH.

Be it known,that I, JOHN R. 'BY NE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches, of which thefollowing isa specification.

The present invention relates to electric switchesfla-nd more.especially to switches operating to open and close an electric circuitwith a snap action.

'lhe switches formerly in use in sockets for incandescent lamps wererequired to make and break currents of only an ampere or less andaccordingly were able to-perform capable of successfuly closing andopening circuits carrying several amperes current;

It has long been recognized that on account.

of the necessarily small dimensions and consequent frailty of the partsof a switch located in a lamp socket thatxthe be capable of being freelyturned in both directions. Moreover, a switch operable on a quarter turnpossesses many advantages. over a switch requiring a half turn tooperate it since there are many positions in.

which the switch cannot readily be given a half turn by the'hand. A.quarter turn switch possesses the added advantage that the handle orthumb piece automatically indicates the on and oil positions of theswitch.

One object of my invention is to Provide an improved form of electricswitch which shall operate with a snap action upon turn- I ing theactuating member aquarter turn in either direction, and which shall bestrong and durable'when of small dimensions.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a. novel" form ofstop for the switch,

which is certain in its action in arresting the rotation ofth'e swltchafter 1t has accomplished a quarter turn movement in eitherSpecification of Letters Patent.

switch should Patented Jul 4, 1916.

Application filed fiovenib'er 12, 1913. Serial No. 800,449.

direction and which is well adapted to stand the sudden impacts to whichit is subjected Without prematurely wearing out.

For a fuller understanding of. my invention, reference may be had to theaccom- SCHENEGTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL ELECTRIC v panyingdrawings illustrating one embodiment thereof, in which- 1 Figure 1 is alongitudinal section, with tne lower half of the insulating base inelevation, of a lamp socket inwhich a switch embodying my invention islocated;.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lower part of the supporting base with theswitch mounted on the base; Fig. 3 is a side'elevation of theswitch;Fig. 4: is a plan view of Fig. 3, but showing the operating handleangularly displaced with reference to the switch, thus placing theoperating parts of the switch under tension; Fig. 5 is a longitudinalsection of the switch and the support for the same; Fig. 6 is aperspective view thereof with parts broken away; Fig. 7 is a plan Viewof an automobile lighting switch embodying my invention, and Fig. 8 is asection taken on the line 8-8, Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings, and first to I Figs. l to 6, 1 is the lowerhalf of a lamp socket supporting base made of any suitable insulatingmaterial, such as molded porcelain, and 2 is the upper half thereof. Thelower half of the base is formed with a transverse recess 3, with whicha recess 4 in the upper half registers, the two recesses forming housingfor the operating parts of the switch. The supporting here is incloscdin a lamp socket shell 5 of usual construction provided with a cap 6. Abase plate or yoke A, which is formed to fit in the bottom of the recess3, is provided with up-turned ends 7 and 8 which constitute supportingbrackets for the operating parts of the switch. The-bottom part of thebase plate is also provided with upwardly and inwardly extending lugs 9having notches 10 at theirends as indicated in Fig. 6. The up-turned end8 of the base plate is also provided with inwardly turned lugs 8 whichembrace and secure. inposition the ends of two fiat spaced springs 11,the oppositeends of which extend beneath the inturned ends of thebrackets 9 and project outwardly across the notches 10, the springsextending substantially to the far edges of the brackets, The baseplate. A is secured to the supporting base 1 by screws (not shown in thedrawing). An actuator for producing a torque in the switch comprising anactuating spindle 13, is mounted in an opening in the bracket 8 of thebase plate. An insulated handle 14 of the usual form is suitably securedto the outer end of the spindle 13, and the inner end is provided withlaterally and forwardlyextending arms 15 and 16 parallel with thespindle itself and here shown as integral therewith. One end of a sleeve17 embraces the inner end of the spindle 13, while its opposite end ismounted in the bracket 7. The sleeve is provided with a flange or collar18 which engages the inner face of the bracket 7. A rotary switch memberB comprises a contact plate 20 having forwardly projecting contactblades 20", a detent wheel 21, shown as of the star wheel type, a disk22 provided with a rearwardly extending arm 23 and a plate 24: fromwhich an annular piece 25 is stamped up, which constitutes a double camfacing the actuator or actuating spindle. The upper part of the cam ring25 (as viewed in Fig. 6) is cut away at 25 to form a notch within whichthe arm 23 is received,

the two ends of the divided cam being seatedagainst shoulders 23 on thearm 23. The contact plate 20, detent wheel 21 and plates 22 and 24 arefixedly mounted upon a sleeve 26, which is in turn loosely mounted uponthe sleeve 17 and provided with a. flange 27 engaging the plate 20, theend of the sleeve facing the actuator being slightly turned out to holdin position the members which are mounted thereon. A coil spring 28surrounds the end of the sleeve 17 adjacent the actuating spindle 13,the ends of the spring being bent outwardly on opposite sides of thearms 16 and 23 and thus normally holding them in alinement; A collar 29surrounding the sleeve 17 separates the spring 28 from the plate 24." Acoil spring 30 surrounds the end of the sleeve 17 mounted in the bracket7 and impels the member B toward the actuating spindle. Stationarybinding terminals for the wires are indicated by the numerals 31 and 32,which are suitably connected to stationary contacts 33 and 34:.

The operation of my device is as follows: In the normal position of theoperating parts of the switch, one of the detents of the wheel 21 islocated between the spaced ends of the Hat springs 11 which preventmovement of the wheel and of the member B in either direction, and. theend of the arm 15 engages the lowest portion of the cam 25, that is, theportion of the cam adjacent to the plate 24:. Now, when'the actuator isturned in either direction, rotary movement of the member B is preventedand the arm. l6 moves away from the arm 23, thus wind-.

of the arm 15 rides up one side or the other of the cam 25, depending onthe direction of movement of the actuator and moves the member 13'axially of the sleeve 17 against the spring 30 until the detent of theWheel 21, which has been retained between the ends of the springs 11, ismoved to the left sufliciently to clear the end of the engaging spring11, at which time a quick rotary movement of the member B is producedand the contact blades 20 of the switch element 20 quickly separatedfrom or brought into engagement with the stationary contacts 33 and 34to break or .make the circuit. As soon as the detent is freed from oneof the springs 11 and the member B begins to turn, the spring 30 forcesmember B toward the actuator so that the next detent of the wheel ridesover and depresses the other of the springs 11 and is brought to a stopbetween the two springs after the switch has completed a movement of 90degrees. Since the springs 11 are depressed by the detents riding overthe surfaces of the springs, it will be apparent that there is littlewear either upon the springs or the detent wheel itself, and since thelongitudinal edges of the springs engage. the transverse shoulders ofthe detents upon arresting the movement of part 13, while the end edgesof the springs in clearing the side shoulders of the detents control therelease of the part B, it is readily seen that even though there shouldbe more or less wear of the parts under the hammer blows incident toarrest of the switch movement, the shoulders which determine the releaseof the part B will be unaffected and accordingly so long as the springsand de tents properly function to arrest the rota-- table member B, thelatter will be permanently locked and fully tensioned by the key beforebeing released.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown my inven tion embodied in an automobilelighting switch; the head, side and rear lights and the wiring theretobeing arranged in a manner well understood in the art. The switch ishere mounted on a base a secured to any desired support. A U-shapedplate 7) is secured to the base a, the outer-ends of the arms being bentinwardly. An angle plate 0 is secured to the forward ends of the twoarms,the transverse part of the plate having a bearing for the spindle13 as in Figs. 1 to 6, while the transverse part of the angle plate hasits central portion cut away to form spring arms 11 with an opening (Zbetween them in which the detents of the wheel 21 are successivelyreceived.

While I have described my invention in connection with a quarter turnswitch, it will be obvious that the angular displace ment necessary tocomplete a movement of the switch is determined by the distaiice apartof the detents on the wheel 21, the

by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A snap switch mechanism comprising an axially movable rotary memberinclud' ing a switch element and detent means; stop means normallyengaging said detent means so as to prevent rotation of said member arotary actuator for said rotarymember; and means responsive to rotationof said actuator' in either direction for exerting tension onsaid rotarymember and shifting said detent means axially to release-it from saidstop means.

2. Asnap switch mechanism comprising a rotary'member including a contactplate and axially movable detent and cammeans; stop means normallyengaging said detent means so as to prevent rotation of said member; arotary actuator for said rotary member and means forming between saidactuator andsaid member a yielding operating connection adapted to exerttension on the latter in response to rotation of the former in eitherdirection; and means carried by said actuator for cooperating with saidcam means to shift said detent means axially todisengage it from saidstop means.

3. A snapswitch mechanism including an axially movable rotarymembercomprising a contact plate, a detent wheel, and a double faced cam;means yieldingly resisting axial movements of said rotary member; meansnormally engagingsaid detent wheel to'preve'nt rotation thereof ineither direction; a rotary actuator forsaid rotary member; means formingbetween said actuator and said rotary member ayielding operatingconnection adapted to exert-tension on the latter in response torotation of the former in either direction; and means carried-by theactuatorfor engaging one or the other of the cam faces in accordancewith the direction of rotation of the actuator to movethe rotary memberaxially and release the same from said'engaging means.

4. =A snap switch mechanism including an axially movable rotary membercomprising a contact plate,'a star wheel, and a double cam; a springopposing axial movement of said rotar member; stop means for prevent ingrotation of said rotary member comprising a pair of yielding membersbetween which one ofthe detents of the star wheel is normally held; arotary actuator for said rotary member facing said cam; means formingbetween said actuator and said rotary member a yielding operatingconnection adapted to exert tension on the latter in response torotation of the former in I either direction; and an arm carried by saida rotary member including an axially -mov able detent wheel; meansyieldingly resisting axial movement of said wheel; stop means forpreventing rotation of said rotary member comprising a pair of fiatsprings, be-' tween which the detents of said wheel are successivelyreceived, the uppersurfaces of said springs lying in the path ofmovement of. said detents; a rotary actuator forsaid rotary membercomprising means for movactuator adapted on such rotation to coopingsaid detent wheel axially to release it yielding connection between saidactuator and said rotary member adapted to exert tensionon the latter inresponse to rotation of the former. I

6. A snap switch mechanism comprising ,an axially movable rotary memberincluding a detent wheel; means yieldingly resisting axial'movement ofsaid rotary member; stop means for preventing rotation of said rotarymember comprising a pair of flat springs with their upper surfaceswithin the path of movement of said wheel; means for exerting tension'on said detent wheel and for simultaneously moving it axially againstthe resistance of said yielding means to free it from said springs, sothat the detents of" said wheel may successively be brought to restbetween said springs by depressing and passing over one of them andengaging another.

7. In a snap switch, a base plate having its ends upturned to constitutebrackets, an actuating spindle mounted in one of the brackets,the innerend of which is formedwith a projection on either side of the spindie, asleeve mounted in the other bracket and embracing said spindle, a rotarymember loosely mounted on said sleeve and comprising a contact plate, astar wheel, a cam facfrom said stop means; and means forming'a ing theactuator, a tension spring surround- 1 ing the inner end of said sleeveand having its ends engaging opposite sides of one of said projections,the other projection engaging said cam, aspring for forcing said rotarymember toward the actuator, and stop means for preventing rotation ofsaid rotary member comprising a pair of yielding members between whichone of the detents of the star wheel is normally located and from whichsaid detent is released after a predes termined movement of saidactuator.

8. In a lamp socket, the combination of a key rotatable in eitherdirection, a rotary switch member mounted coaxially with the key, meansto lock said rotary member against rotation, a spring connection betweensaid key and said rotary member, and an operative connection betweensaid key and said locking means whereby the rotary means; spring stopmeans carried by the socket structure normally engaging said detentmeans so as to prevent rotation of said.

rotary member; and yielding means responsive to rotation of saidke ineither direction for exerting on sai rotary member tension tending torotate it and for releasing the engagement of said detent means and saidspring stop means so that said rotary member may rotate untilarrested'by their rengagement.

In Witness whereof, I-have hereunto set my'hand this 10th day ofNovember, 1913. 30

JOHN R. BYE-NE. Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, Maneann'r E. WOOLLEY.

copies 0! this patent say In obtained for he cents essh, by addressingthe "Commissioner of intents. Isshisrtu, I; 0."

